It is a superfood with numerous health benefits, but our enthusiasm for almond milk is causing a storm in the US.

Almond growers in California are at the centre of a row over water usage during one of the worst droughts in decades.

The state, which supplies more than three-quarters of the world's $4.93billion(£3.3bn) almond market, is in its fourth year of drought.

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Dry days: Homes with swimming pools are seen in the Palm Springs area, California, as the state enters its fourth year of severe drought

This has also seen local residents attack the bottled water industry, after it was revealed that several companies have been 'taking advantage of poor government oversight to deplete mountain streams and watersheds,' The Guardian reports.

A campaign singles out Nestle as the main villain, after an investigation by a local newspaper found that the company has been sourcing water from some of the driest areas in the state using expired permits.

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An online petition demanding that the company seizes production of bottled water in California with immediate effect has garnered more than 150,000 signatures.

Despite the ongoing drought, almond growers, who require a gallon of water to produce a single nut, are still planting trees.

The industry's growth is being driven by the public's clamour for a food with benefits for the heart, the bones and metabolism.

Still going: Almond growers in California are at the centre of a row over water usage during one of the worst droughts in decades

Almonds are high in potassium, calcium, vitamin E and magnesium, and are thought to reduce cholesterol and decrease hunger without leading to weight gain

A gardener works on a golf course in La Quinta, California, as residents campaign against the bottled drinks industry and almond growers in a bid to stop the drought

Almonds are high in potassium, calcium, vitamin E and magnesium, and are thought to reduce cholesterol and decrease hunger without leading to weight gain.

Unlike cows' milk, almond milk – which is made from ground nuts and water – has no cholesterol or lactose, and being a plant food, it is often consumed by vegans, vegetarians, and others forgoing dairy.

David Cameron is said to be a fan, and Sainsbury's reported a 181 per cent sales increase in the milk last year.

But in California, there is growing anger that while most people are facing water rations, the almond industry has been left to expand its orchards and guzzle all the water it wants.

Tom Stokely, of the California Water Impact Network, told the Sunday Telegraph: 'There has been a huge expansion of almonds. As we speak, there are yet more almond orchards being planted. In many cases the farmers are planting them in areas of low water supply so groundwater is being over-drafted.

'They're doing it because there are such huge profits. Now they're asking the rest of us to give up our water so they can stay in business.'

Unlike cows' milk, almond milk – which is made from ground nuts and water – has no cholesterol or lactose, and being a plant food, it is often consumed by vegans, vegetarians, and others forgoing dairy

But the almond industry insists it needs the resources.

Brad Gleason, a grower in Fresno County, said: 'I'm proud to be a farmer of almonds. We produce something real and healthy that contributes mightily to the economy of California.

'Some of the old-timers still remember when this stretch of Fresno County belonged to the horned toad, jack rabbit and tumbleweed. Demonising us, and what we grow, is no way to meet the challenge. We're not the bad guys.'

Governor Jerry Brown also defended his decision to exempt agriculture from the water consumption cap, saying: 'Agriculture is an important pillar of California.'

Pineapple lovers are facing hefty hikes in the price of their favourite fruit, according to a report yesterday.

Pineapple prices have soared to their highest level for almost three years as a result of poor weather in Costa Rica, which has led to plummeting supplies.

Trade magazine The Grocer said that while retail prices of many fruit and vegetable lines had fallen over recent months, the average price of a loose pineapple in the biggest UK supermarkets has risen to $2.41(£1.61) – up from $2.21(£1.48) in March.

Costa Rica is the world's biggest exporter of pineapples, accounting for 90 per cent of the global fresh supply, but recent cold and wet weather had hit this year's harvest.